Chapter 21 — Sky Baby Moves In

Skylar stands frozen at the gate.

Beyond the black iron archway lies a stone path winding through a blooming garden, leading straight to a massive white mansion nestled at the heart of the estate. A fountain bubbles nearby. Birds chirp in synchronized harmony. The air smells like jasmine and money.

But Skylar sees none of that.

She just stares. Gaping.

A sharp voice snaps her back to reality.

"Hey! Don't just stand there like a glitched NPC. Come on in."

Flick!

Julian casually flicks her forehead. Hard.

Skylar yelps, grabs her poor forehead, and points at the mansion like it's a crime scene: "W–Wait. Are we at the wrong place or something?!"

Julian just shrugs, lips twitching: "Welcome to… my humble little home."

Skylar glares: "You call this humble?!"

Julian walks ahead like he didn't just drop a flex that shook her soul.

As they pass through the gates, a dozen uniformed staff appear out of nowhere, lining up neatly in two rows. In perfect sync, they bow.

"Welcome home, Young Master!"

Julian nods like this is nothing new.

Skylar, however, freezes beside him.

Oh. My. Gosh. This is not a house. This is a K-drama set. I'm living in a chaebol webtoon now.

An older man with salt-and-pepper hair and a sharp but gentle face steps forward.

"And… who might this young lady be?" he asks politely.

Julian answers calmly: "This is Skylar. Starting today, she'll be living here. She's my personal maid-slash-bodyguard. She'll cover for Nathan when he's not around."

The man smiles warmly: "Understood, sir. Welcome, Little Sky. I'm Felix Lam, the head butler here. I've been working for this household for over 45 years. You may call me Uncle Felix."

A woman in a crisp gray uniform steps up beside him. She extends her hand with a motherly smile: "And I'm Madam Meilin Truong — head maid of this house. Lovely to meet you, dear. Let's take care of each other from now on."

Skylar quickly grabs both her hands and bows slightly: "Nice to meet you too! I'm Skylar Trinh. I'm new here, so please take care of me!"

Julian cuts in, rolling his eyes: "Alright, enough introductions. I'm taking Sky Baby on a grand tour of the property."

Sky... Baby?! — Skylar short-circuits internally, but Julian already pulls her away by the hand.

Uncle Felix waves after them, smiling. Madam Truong calls out: "Be careful and come back before dinner!"

Skylar waves back with a grin: "Got it!"

Then she gasps, tugging on Julian's sleeve: "Wait! I need to drop off my stuff!"

"Make it quick," Julian replies.

She runs back for a moment, then returns and grabs his hand tightly. This time, the warmth in his hand doesn't feel so cold anymore.

"Let's gooooo!"

"Keep your voice down, you loud gremlin."

As they step through the front doors, Skylar's jaw practically unhinges. A golden chandelier hangs from a ceiling that looks taller than her entire school building. The marble floors reflect every glimmer of light. Paintings in gilded frames line the walls. There's a staircase that looks like it leads to a ballroom, or possibly Narnia.

Skylar spins in place.

"Bro… This place is insane."

Julian smirks: "Glad you think so. You'll be cleaning it every week."

She stops spinning.

"You're joking… right?"

Julian says nothing.

Skylar squints: "You are joking… right?!"

She follows Julian through various wings of the house. There's a library big enough to lose a student in. A sunroom filled with tropical plants and cushy armchairs. A dining hall that looks like a royal banquet scene. Even the bathroom has more marble than her school auditorium.

Skylar walks slowly, taking in every ridiculous detail.

In her head, a memory flickers: A magazine article from a year ago… "Inside the Top 10 Elite Family Mansions of the Nation."

She stares at one of the vases. She's sure she saw it on the cover.

I thought it was all photoshopped… I can't believe I'm here.

Julian leads her outside again, walking through the backyard. There's a koi pond. A tennis court. A garden maze. And—because why not—a freaking helipad.

"So... we're going back to school tomorrow, right?" Skylar asks.

Julian nods: "Yup. Also, I already told the butler to arrange our dorms. We'll be roommates in the student dormitory."

"Because I'm your—" Skylar sighs dramatically, "—loyal slave of doom."

Julian smirks: "Slave-slash-personal-bodyguard. But let's be real. Have you ever followed orders properly?"

Skylar gives him a dangerous grin: "Wanna test that?"

Julian keeps walking, smug as ever.

So Skylar casually sticks her foot out—

Thud!

Julian trips and faceplants into the grass.

He groans, slowly pushing himself up. His face is thundercloud-dark: "Skylar… Trinh…"

"Y–Yes?" she replies, backing away slightly.

Julian stands up straight, his head tilting creepily like a horror movie villain: "You. Did. Not."

He lunges toward her.

Skylar panics, instinctively swings her elbow — landing it right under his chin — and flips him with surprising precision.

Now she's sitting on his back, panting: "Sorry! I—I just panicked!"

"Then GET OFF ME!!!"

Skylar, even more panicked, tightens her hold.

"AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

A scream so powerful it sends birds flying out of nearby trees.

And then... silence. Julian goes limp like a deflated balloon.

Just then, a tall man in a dark vest approaches. His features are refined, his smile gentle, but there's something commanding in the way he carries himself.

"Having fun, I see?" he says.

Julian quickly bows: "Uncle Leodinas."

Skylar also bows politely and offers both hands for a handshake: "Good afternoon, sir!"

Leodinas raises an eyebrow: "Skylar? Did I just walk into a wrestling match?"

Skylar answers promptly: "I'm Skylar Trinh. From today on, I'll be serving as Julian's personal maid and temporary bodyguard. It's an honor to meet you."

Leodinas chuckles: "How interesting. Would you like to be my disciple? I can train you into a top-tier martial artist."

Skylar blinks: "Uh… no thank you, sir. But if that's a requirement to be Julian's guard, then… I'll accept."

There's a flicker of surprise in Leodinas's eyes — and something else. Respect?

That look… like someone who's seen hell and walked out of it, he thinks.

He pulls out a small slip of paper and hands it to her.

"Come to this address if you ever feel like training."

And with that, he turns and leaves.

Julian stays quiet, frowning slightly: He's never offered to train anyone before. Not even me...

Skylar watches the man's back disappear: Train to protect Julian better? Sure… But do I have the motivation? Ugh. Training is exhausting. Still... maybe later.

Dinner goes smoothly — until Skylar sneaks into the kitchen.

"I just want to wash a few plates," she whispers to herself. "Easy peasy."

She grabs a sponge… and promptly knocks over a bowl.

Crash!

Felix and Madam Truong storm in.

"WHAT are you doing?!"

Skylar hides behind the counter like a guilty cat: "Uh… surprise cleaning?"

"You're not a maid," Madam Truong snaps: "You're his maid. Now get to bed!"

Julian strolls in and waves her over: "Let's go. Leave the dishes. Before you break the entire dining set."

Skylar follows, ears burning.

As they reach the stairs, Julian leans in: "She's just... very protective of the house. Don't take it personally."

Skylar nods: "Got it."

Back upstairs, Felix stops Julian: "Sir, do you truly trust her?"

Julian glances toward Skylar's room: "I do. More than most people."

"She's young."

"She's capable."

"And stubborn."

Julian smirks: "Exactly."

In front of his room, Skylar pauses: "Wait. Didn't you already pack for the dorms? You're supposed to move in tomorrow, right?"

Julian snaps his fingers: "Oh, right. Totally forgot. Welp. Bedtime!"

"Okay!" Skylar grins, spinning on her heel and skipping toward the guest room.

As she disappears down the hallway, Julian stays at his door for a moment longer.

Then he mutters: "Sky Baby… huh. That's gonna stick."